The new fiction series CHILDHOOD DREAMS (Dutch title: DE DROOM VAN DE JEUGD) has been included in the official competition of the prestigious international television festival Canneseries (April 14-19). The series, by Marnie Blok and Bram Schouw, tells the story of the Wander family from the sixties to the present. It stars Hanna van Vliet, Tamar van den Dop, Annet Malherbe, Mark Rietman, Jacob Derwig, Peter Paul Muller and Gijs Naber, among others.
CHILDHOOD DREAMS is a nine-part family chronicle about an ordinary Dutch family, in which an unusually big secret seeps like poison through the different generations. From the tumultuous 1960s to the present, the series shows how capricious and unpredictable life unfolds for the originally Catholic Wander family from Brabant.
Creators Marnie Blok and Bram Schouw:
“With CHILDHOOD DREAMS, we tell a timeless story. About how each generation rebels against the previous one. About patterns that repeat themselves. About how the inevitable struggle that each generation faces is essentially the same: discovering and acquiring own insights, shaping one’s own ideals, conquering freedom.
CHILDHOOD DREAMS is about that fight for freedom, both on a personal level and in a larger social context. The four decades in which the series is set gives us the chance to grow with the characters – against the background of important political events. Through the different members of the Wander family, we witness, among other things, the student uprisings in Paris (1968), the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989), the war in former Yugoslavia (1994) and the 9/11 attacks. Set against these political arenas, we concentrate on the personal stories. Relationships and marriages, births and deaths, moments of great happiness and deep sorrow, of idealism, drive, and careers that succeed or fail. Stories about timeless themes and issues that are still relevant today, such as the right to abortion, women’s emancipation, religion, and racism. But above all, CHILDHOOD DREAMS is about family. Where everything begins and will eventually end.”
Cast
The Wander family consists of six family members. Father Kick (Mark Rietman), mother Rosalie (Annet Malherbe), the eldest daughter Carla (portrayed by both Hanna van Vliet and Tamar van den Dop), the eldest son Max (Ko Zandvliet and Peter Paul Muller), daughter Suus (Laura Bakker and Maria Kraakman) and son Frans (Joes Brauers and Gijs Naber). Other roles are played by Alidtcha Binazon, Yannick Jozefzoon, Gustav Borreman, Pieter Embrechts, Roeland Fernhout, Nizar El Manouzi, Chris Peters, Sylvia Poorta, Roeland Fernhout, among others.
Creators
The screenplay is written by Marnie Blok and the series is directed by Bram Schouw and Simone van Dusseldorp. CHILDHOOD DREAMS is produced by Topkapi Series, creative producer Idse Grotenhuis, in co-production with Dutch broadcaster KRO-NCRV. The series was created thanks to the NPO fund.
CHILDHOOD DREAMS will be airing weekly from Wednesday June 7th on NPO 1 and NPO Start. The full series will also be available on NPO Plus from that day.